Caring for your newborn's umbilical cord stump

Member comments

while trying to stop my baby from peeing on me, i accidentally pulled lil on his belly button stump... :( he seems ok but could this cause a problem? the stump looks ok too,but now im just a lil worried. what should i do???

Irene, Our baby is now two weeks oneday...her cord fell off in about weeks time...some take longer than other's. I can still see little bit of blood (scabing) on my baby's belly button every morning. If the baby is bleeding (you can see blood coming out when you wipe it) then you should take him to the doctor.

One of the most frequently asked questions that parents-to-be have when they are deciding whether or not to bank their baby’s cord blood is how likely it is that their baby will benefit from the banked cord blood. In scientific terms, when a person receives an infusion of their own cord blood stem cells it is called an autologous transplant, or autologous therapy. Autologous therapies have been successfully used in treatments for certain genetic disorders for many years now. But, what if your family doesn’t appear to have genetic disorders in its history? Could the stem cells still be useful? Recent activity in leading medical circles indicates that indeed a baby’s own stem cells may be useful for treating non-genetic disorders, including cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is the term used to describe a group of chronic conditions that affect body movements and muscle coordination. It is a non-genetic disorder. http://cordadvantage.com

It Looks like it is digging into my baby's skin. It's a little red only in that spot. There's no pus or anything. I tried putting gauze between the stump and his skin but that didn't work. Should I consult my dotor? Any suggestions?

This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

This site is published by BabyCenter, L.L.C., which is responsible for its contents as further described and qualified in the Terms of Use.